A Doctoral Curriculum in Transition
A Case Study of Boston University’s Graduate Medical
Sciences Curriculum Reform
Shoumita Dasgupta, Ph.D.
The initial context
Prospective students
Anatomy
Biophysics
Oral Biology
Pharmacology
and
Biochemistry
Microbiology
Pathology
Physiology
Neurobiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Prospective students
Anatomy
Biophysics
Oral Biology
Pharmacology
and
Biochemistry
Microbiology
Pathology
Physiology
Neurobiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Behavioral
Neuroscience
Biomedical
Neuroscience
Cell and
Molecular
Biology
Genetics
and
Genomics
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Immunology
Training
Program
Medical
Nutrition
Sciences
Molecular
Medicine
Curricular overlap: Biochemistry
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Anatomy
and
Neurobiology
Biophysics
Biochemistry
Behavioral
Neuroscience
Biomedical
Neuroscience
Oral Biology
Microbiology
Cell and
Molecular
Biology
Genetics
and
Genomics
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Pharmacology
Pathology
Immunology
Training
Program
Physiology
Medical
Nutrition
Sciences
Molecular
Medicine
Curricular overlap: Cell Biology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Anatomy
and
Neurobiology
Biophysics
Biochemistry
Behavioral
Neuroscience
Biomedical
Neuroscience
Oral Biology
Microbiology
Cell and
Molecular
Biology
Genetics
and
Genomics
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Pharmacology
Pathology
Immunology
Training
Program
Physiology
Medical
Nutrition
Sciences
Molecular
Medicine
Curricular overlap: Molecular Biology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Anatomy
and
Neurobiology
Biophysics
Biochemistry
Behavioral
Neuroscience
Biomedical
Neuroscience
Oral Biology
Microbiology
Cell and
Molecular
Biology
Genetics
and
Genomics
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Pharmacology
Pathology
Immunology
Training
Program
Physiology
Medical
Nutrition
Sciences
Molecular
Medicine
Curricular overlap: Genetics and Genomics
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Anatomy
and
Neurobiology
Biophysics
Biochemistry
Behavioral
Neuroscience
Biomedical
Neuroscience
Oral Biology
Microbiology
Cell and
Molecular
Biology
Genetics
and
Genomics
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Pharmacology
Pathology
Immunology
Training
Program
Physiology
Medical
Nutrition
Sciences
Molecular
Medicine
Peaceful coexistence
Historical clutter
No room perceived in old curricula for new courses
Convergent evolution
Old courses added similar new topics.
Adopting a new paradigm
Leading Change
1. Create urgency.
• Document students choosing
other graduate schools based
on presence of integrated
curriculum.
• Identify areas of curricular
redundancy.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change
1. Create urgency.
2. Form a powerful coalition.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Stakeholders from programs affected
by curricular overlap
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Anatomy
and
Neurobiology
Biophysics
Biochemistry
Behavioral
Neuroscience
Biomedical
Neuroscience
Oral Biology
Microbiology
Cell and
Molecular
Biology
Genetics
and
Genomics
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Pharmacology
Pathology
Immunology
Training
Program
Physiology
Medical
Nutrition
Sciences
Molecular
Medicine
Leading Change
1.
2.
3.
•
Create urgency.
Form a powerful coalition.
Create a vision for change.
Charge Integrated Curriculum
Committee to determine core
values for curricular reform.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change
1.
2.
3.
4.
•
Create urgency.
Form a powerful coalition.
Create a vision for change.
Communicate the vision.
Reach out to key stakeholders
(e.g. Departmental chairs &
Program directors) individually.
• Create opportunities to share
the curriculum vision publically
through retreats, faculty
meetings, and web sites.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
•
Create urgency.
Form a powerful coalition.
Create a vision for change.
Communicate the vision.
Remove obstacles.
Open dialog to help stakeholders
embrace change.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
•
Create urgency.
Form a powerful coalition.
Create a vision for change.
Communicate the vision.
Remove obstacles.
Create short term wins.
Recognition for incremental
achievements such as creation
of curriculum outline,
identification of module
directors, completion of first
year, etc.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
•
Create urgency.
Form a powerful coalition.
Create a vision for change.
Communicate the vision.
Remove obstacles.
Create short term wins.
Build on the change.
Empower module directors to
begin detailed course design.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Create urgency.
Form a powerful coalition.
Create a vision for change.
Communicate the vision.
Remove obstacles.
Create short term wins.
Build on the change.
Anchor the changes in
institutional culture.
• Move to formally approve
courses.
• Create curriculum oversight
body in FiBS Steering Committee
• Implement standard student
and peer course eval processes.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:
Why should we move to an integrated curriculum?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Encourage students to think in a rigorous and interdisciplinary
fashion
Coordinate content across courses and programs
Reduce redundancy in course content
Decrease lecture hours
Promote collegiality among participating doctoral students
Compete with peer institutions to recruit prospective students
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:
Key features of the integrated curriculum
•
•
•
•
A critical thinking component is integrated into each module. (e.g.
paper discussions, problem-solving sessions, bioinformatics
workshops, etc)
Critical thinking activities are carried out in small (6-8 members +
1 facilitator) break-out groups
Each module has a separate course number, exam(s), and grade.
Each module has a course director who sits on a curriculum steering
committee with the other module course directors.
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:
A Core Curriculum for GMS Doctoral Students
Optional electives:
Module I:
Protein
Structure,
Catalysis, and
Interactions
Module II:
Structure and
Function of the
Genome
Module III:
Architecture and
Dynamics of the
Cell
Module IV:
Mechanisms of
Cell
Communication
•Translational
Genetics and
Genomics
•Molecular
Metabolism
•Physiology of
Specialized Cells
2 credits
2 credits
2 credits
2 credits
2-4 credits
Program-specific course(s): 4-6 credits
Program-specific course(s): 4-8 credits
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:
Key features of the integrated curriculum
•
•
•
•
•
Students are able to take program-specific courses beginning with
their first semester of study.
A grant writing course is being piloted for the second year of
doctoral study.
Formalized, anonymous course evaluations are standard practice
for all modules
This structure provides more opportunities for students to teach
Individual programs can choose to opt into this curriculum
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:
Feedback from the first implementation
• “Overall I really enjoyed the course. It caused us to work really hard
and forced us to apply the information presented to us to different
problems that we were given. It was challenging, yes, but I feel as
though I have learned a lot from it and I hope this class continues for
years to come.”
• “Comparing this module to last year's course, I think this is a huge
improvement. It was very well-organized, the lectures flowed together
very smoothly, and the lecturers themselves were excellent at teaching
their subjects…Thank you to all of the professors and the course
directors for an excellent job.”
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:
Feedback from the first implementation
• “I thoroughly enjoyed both the pace and format of this module,
especially using last year’s curriculum as a reference point.”
• “I'd like to stress that I enjoyed each module, I thought each was well
run and was successful in giving first year students a vital knowledge
base that truly is interdisciplinary.”
• “I'd like to thank every faculty member and TA associated with this
course. It has made me think in a different way when approaching my
work at the bench, and is making me a more complete researcher.”
The new context
Program inProspective
Biomedicalstudents
Sciences Students
Labs
Anatomy
Biophysics
Oral Biology
Pharmacology
and
Biochemistry
Microbiology
Pathology
Physiology
Neurobiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Behavioral
Neuroscience
Biomedical
Neuroscience
Cell and
Molecular
Biology
Genetics
and
Genomics
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Immunology
Training
Program
Medical
Nutrition
Sciences
Molecular
Medicine
Acknowledgements
Boston University,
Division of Graduate Medical
Sciences
Linda Hyman,
Associate Provost
Karen Symes,
Foundations Co-director
GMS students
GMS Graduate Program
Directors, Chairs, and
Representatives